JHU SAIS/ GTOWN MSFS/UCSD MPIA/Fletcher MIB?

[chagilber02]

Hi all,

I'm struggling with my decision for graduate school this fall. My concentrations for my IR masters are international business/economics and China studies. All the schools are attractive in that SAIS/MSFS/Fletcher rank in the top 5 in IR schools and each has a reputable alumni base, but UCSD focuses primarily on Pacific rim, has a strong quant component, and is free.

Funding:

SAIS-$25,000/year Fellowship

MSFS-On the waitlist for funding

Fletcher-$30,000/year Fellowship

UCSD-Full ride covering tuition and fees plus monthly stipend of $1500.00

After completing my masters, i hope to work in private (investor relations or portfolio management-based off previous work experience) or multilateral (foreign direct investment, emerging markets). That said, I'm worried about Fletcher's Master of international business program because it isn't accredited. I heard that SAIS offers better placement in private than Georgetown does. UCSD will be free (I'm also out of state) and actually pays me to go there. I don't just want to blindly follow the money in making my decision. Any thoughts, comments, questions, etc.

[ZacharyObama]

I'd say follow the money although you need to realize $1500 is pretty tough to live off of in San Diego so you'll need loans/another job etc. to probably pay the bills at the end of the day. If you can visit definitely do so. 

 

There are a lot of threads on these programs here: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/11-government-affairs/